Heart of the Machine is a 4X game. It's also an RTS, an RPG, and a city builder. Combat is inspired by classics of the turn-based tactics genre like XCOM and Jagged Alliance, and the environment resembles Half-Life 2. Developer Chris McElligott Park says he originally got the idea from playing Stardew Valley. In the hands of anyone else, it might all sound a bit over designed; a bit messy. But McElligott Park, and his sometimes collaborators at Arcen Games, have been doing this for years. Between AI War, The Last Federation, and Starward Rogue, none of Arcen's work slots neatly into a single genre. Published by Hooded Horse, the ambitious label behind Manor Lords, Heart of the Machine feels like Park and Arcen's deepest game to date, a mechanics-heavy tesselation that gives new shape to 4X games. Speaking to PCGamesN exclusively, McElligott Park explains this new take on genre conventions.
RELATED LINKS:
4X RPG Heart of the Machine turns you loose as an AI, and it has a new demo
Big new 4X game from Manor Lords publisher available to try right now
Celebrate Steam's finest strategy games as TactiCon 2023 begins